South Indian Rice with Lentils (Bisi Bele Bhath)

The prep time is minimal, ingredients are simple, your kitchen doesn’t get all messy, and dinner is ready in under an hour. I like that.

If that’s not enough, one-pot meals leave you with leftovers; and from the feedback you’ve left on the meal planning giveaway post, you love leftovers just as much as me!

I’m glad we see eye to eye on leftovers… I think we’d make great real-life friends.

Okay, so now that I’ve sold you on the whole one-pot meal idea, let’s get right to it.

Today’s one-pot wonder comes all the way from India. Surprise, surprise!

Indian cooking is heavily reliant on one-pot meals. The flavors are bold, the ingredients are simple, and the result is jaw-droppingly awesome. Yes, jaw-droppingly.

The kitchens I visited in the South were very basic – many of them only had one or two pots and pans, a cutting knife, cast-iron grill for their breads, eating utensils, and metal trays. As a result, Indians have mastered the art of one-pot cooking.

The meals I enjoyed during my time there were hands down some of the best I’ve ever had in my life. They had less than 10 ingredients, were made with love, and many of them were created using just one-pot!

In today’s one-dish wonder, we’re whipping up a batch of Indian rice and lentils, also known as bisi bele bhath. The direct translation of bisi bele bhath meals hot lentil rice. The name says it all, really. It’s naturally gluten-free, vegan, inexpensive, and delicious.

The traditional preparation of this dish involves the use of spicy masala, toor dal (a type of lentil that I wasn’t able to find at the grocery store) and vegetables. Spices like nutmeg, curry leaves and tamarind pulp (another ingredient that’s hard to find so I replaced it with date syrup) contribute to the unique flavor and taste of this dish.

It is served hot and sometimes eaten alongside salad, papad or potato chips. For a healthier potato chip option, try pan-frying cubed potato in some coconut oil for about 15 minutes and dropping over top of your individual portion. So good.

Instead of using store-bought masala, I opted to make my own and was happily pleased with just how easy it was. I also threw in some dehydrated coconut for good measure, South India style.

! don't handle my spice well, so I made the first batch with no chili at all. It was good, but lacked the kick! For the second batch, I tried it with 1 chili and it was perfect. Feel free to go up to using 3 chili's if you're the adventurous type. I'm pretty sure I'd burn my face off if I tried it.

2.2.8

Soaking the rice and lentils made a huge impact on the digestibility of this dish. I couldn’t believe how easy it was on my tummy. Major win in my books!

Feel free to mix and match your veggies for this recipe. I’ve added zucchini, celery, green peppers, fennel, Chinese eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower to the mix and all of it was downright delicious.

Sauteing the garlic and ginger with the several spices is my favorite part about making most Indian meals. The spices are so fragrant!

Once all of your veggies are coated in the turmeric mix, throw everything in a pot and let it cook away for 30 minutes.

While your dinner is busy simmering, you can get started on the masala. I was intimidated to try making masala from scratch but it turned out to be really easy!

You want to brown the spices to release as much as the flavor as possible. The cumin seeds will begin to bounce on the bottom of the pan, and the coconut will turn brown and release just the perfect amount of oil to prevent everything from burning.

After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the lid and check on the texture of the rice. It should be soft and perfect!

Add your homemade masala, stir, and return to the stove for 5 minutes. The longer you heat the masala, the spicier the dish will be.

Add some cilantro, and you’re set.

If you’re lucky like me and your boyfriend is now tired of eating Indian food, you’ve successfully prepared 6 whole meals for yourself.

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Hey there, me again :) I made this recently and my family and I agreed that it was a bit lackluster. I ended adding more pepper flakes and some garam masala.
I’m not trying to bash or anything because it was great with the family but next time I make this, I would replace some of the water with coconut milk. I think that’s what was missing.

And thanks for going to India and coming back with recipes. I acquired a love for Indian food when I was in Singapore but can never understand the menu so I never know what I’m ordering.

Hi Linda – hope you’re having a good weekend! Thanks for your feedback on the recipe, I’m wondering if the quality of the herbs you used resulted in a different taste. Many of the herbs I used in this recipe were purchased in India and had LOADS of flavor. Sorry it was missing something for you. The times I’ve made it, it’s been bang on. Now that I’m out of all those spices, I’ll make this again and keep your coconut milk recommendation in mind.

Ever since you posted about the dosa, I have been madly craving Indian food for the past two weeks. We are finally going to an Indian restaurant tonight, but this recipe has me thinking…maybe I can MAKE something just as wonderful at home :) I will be trying this as soon as I make it over to my favorite grocery store, they have each country’s foods and seasonings, categorized by aisle. Hope they have curry leaves! Also, can I use black pepper, does it make a difference from the white?

Enjoy your meal out on the town! Sounds lovely, Tiffany. Black or white pepper, it’ll still taste great! I whipped up another batch of this recipe last night and didn’t use curry leaves. It made a difference, but only slightly so if you can’t find them, no worries.

WOW LEANNE! These are some seriously nice pictures! Mouth watering, makes me want to grab a bite right off my screen even though I don’t really care much for Indian food. Absolutely incredible set right here. You’ve really outdone yourself. I am simply blown away!
And I must admit that the dish does look very yummy! I might be tempted to give it a try when I’m in the mood for a little bit of Indian! :)

I love how you will be supporting my current Indian kick! This looks fabulous and I think I will love that coconut masala. I recently made a mango curry with toor dal and a coconut garam masala from 660 Curries and it was so incredibly delicious. Will definitely give this a go as well. :)

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I have been an endurance athlete for 12 years now, a vegan for 3.5 years, and am now starting my Fat Fueled journey. I have found your recipes immensely helpful as I train for Ironman distance triathlons. I don’t have to eat as much during the workout, and I avoid the horrible gut-bombs and sugar fermentation bloat that so many athletes suffer from. I consider your recipes vital to optimal performance and stalk your website regularly to see what new brilliance shows up!

 Amanda

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Leanne Vogel has experienced success in using her recipes and keto-based diet. It works with her lifestyle but there are no assurances or representations of any kind made by Leanne Vogel or Healthful Pursuit Inc. that you will attain any success in using the same recipes or adopting a keto-based diet. Healthful Pursuit provides information in respect to healthy living, recipes, nutrition, and diet and is intended for informational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor is it to be construed as such. We cannot guarantee that the information provided by Healthful Pursuit reflects the most up-to-date medical research. Information is provided without any representations or warranties of any kind. Please consult a qualified physician for medical advice, and always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health and nutrition program.